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Much has been written about metaphor in marketing. Much less has been written about simile and metonymy. It is widely assumed that they are types of metaphor. Some literary theorists see them as significantly different things. If this is the case, then there are implications for marketing theory and thought.

In keeping with literary tradition, this paper comprises a wide-ranging reflective essay, not a tightly focussed empirical investigation. A combination of literature review and conceptual contemplation, it challenges convention by “reading against the grain”.

The essay reveals that, far from being part of metaphor’s supporting cast, simile and metonymy are stars in themselves. With the aid of three concise cases-in-point – relationship marketing (RM), the consumer odyssey (CO) and Kotler’s generic concept (GC) – the authors present an alternative interpretation of their conceptual contribution and continuing importance.

Marketing management is replete with metaphorical speculation (positioning, warfare, myopia and more). The shortcomings of such figures of speech are rarely spelled out, much less foregrounded. By raising figurative consciousness, marketing practice is furthered.

As similes and metonymies are rarely spoken about in marketing scholarship, the study starts a much-needed conversation. It raises the issue of marketing’s figurative foundations and, in so doing, offers further scope for future debate.

The main aim of this paper is to stimulate more relevant and critical ideas about marketing and the wider management field by exploring the actual and potential contribution of metaphor to marketing theory and practice. The subsequent connections made can help contribute towards understanding and coping with the theory/practice gap.

To date, the majority of metaphor application has tended to be literal and surface‐level rather than theoretically grounded. This paper interrogates the literature surrounding metaphor in marketing and management fields, while also examining the contribution of other areas such as art. The paper constructs and debates the conceptual notion of the marketer as an artist.

Incorporation of theoretically grounded metaphors into marketing theory can help develop a form of marketing which is capable of dealing with ambiguity, chaotic market conditions, creative thinking and practice.

Adoption of a metaphorical approach to marketing research helps to instil a critical and creative ethos in the research process. Marketers are concerned with identification and exploitation of opportunities. Metaphor assists in the process by enhancing visualisation of these future directions. We live out our lives to a large degree through the making of metaphorical connections. We should therefore embrace more qualitative, creative associations in marketing theory, as well as practice.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a model to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of metaphor when used in financial news media reporting.

Theory in Cognitive Linguistics, Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Frame Semantics are used to demonstrate metaphor’s central role shaping human thought and understanding, producing conceptual frameworks used to understand abstract concepts in not only financial news media but also all human discourse. The deontological principles of the major financial news sources are presented which demonstrate a commitment to common core principles, such as “balance” and “accuracy”, yet few consider the potential role of metaphor toward achieving them. This research presents a minimum source domain model for describing stock market phenomenon to increase “interpretation reliability” based on the concepts of communicative efficiency and effectiveness.

This research presents a model for communicative efficiency and effectiveness of metaphor and metonymy (CEEMM) in financial reporting by presenting a minimum source domain model for describing stock market phenomenon to increase “interpretation reliability” when metaphor is used in financial news media sources.

While evidence for the role of metaphor and metonymy on behavior has been provided and in economic contexts, more research into the role that it plays in financial news media and the dynamics of how it influences consumer decisions is necessary.

CEEMM provides news media sources with a tool for standardizing the modes they use to semantically create and communicate knowledge of the stock market and stock market phenomenon. Reporting on stock market phenomenon will have, for the first time, objective parameters for using metaphor toward the fulfillment of journalism deontological principles.

CEEMM has the potential to increase clarity in the metaphors used, as they require less creative exploration on the part of readers. This results in greater levels of trust in news media sources and permits news consumers to make more well-informed financial decisions, as their perceptions of events will be less subjective to creative interpretation. This research should urge news media companies to publicly declare principles for metaphor and metonymic practice in their communication of financial data.

The paper presents the first model for increasing the communicative efficiency and effectiveness in the use of metaphor in financial news media.

The purpose of this paper is to offer an explanation of the predominance of austerity policies in Europe based on distinct crisis narratives and their underlying market metaphors in public speeches and addresses of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to a broader audience of economic decision-makers.

The author uses discourse and metaphor analysis of speeches and addresses of Angela Merkel in the aftermath of the crisis applying cognitive metaphor theory in combination with a corpus linguistic approach.

Dominant conceptual metaphors in Merkel’s crisis narrative subordinate policy-making to superior “market mechanisms”, which are attributed with human and natural characteristics. Moral focus of crisis narrative of “living-beyond-ones-means” forces austerity policies.

The analysis is restricted to public speeches of Merkel, whereas the impact on public discourses was not analyzed.

The paper offers an explanation for the prevalence of neoliberal policies in the Eurozone and the uneven balances of political power in public economic discourses.

Study of the role of “market metaphors” in crisis narratives of influential political leaders as well as an analysis of the impact of discursive manifestations and conceptual market metaphors for economic crisis policies.

The metaphor of warfare pervades popular and academic portrayals of retailing. After a review of the literature on metaphors in marketing and the war metaphor in particular, this paper illustrates the widespread use of the war metaphor in retail and distribution studies and explores in some depth the nature of that metaphor through published depictions of Wal*Mart’s takeover of Asda. It is concluded that use of the war metaphor is both literary and theoretical, but that overuse in the former case may undermine its potential in the latter. Thus it is contended that a reappraisal of the war metaphor in retailing is overdue.

The role of metaphors in information management has generally been acknowledged owing to their ability to convey immediately huge amounts of information and richness. Their role is more and more important in the current digital context of communication and marketing activities, as the decision speed and accuracy are crucial. The purpose of this study is, thus, to analyze physical metaphors as tools for making sequential decisions to achieve effective integrated corporate communication (ICC).

The paper draws on the critical analysis of literature on corporate communication and stakeholder management as building blocks for implementing an integrated approach to corporate communications.

A revision of two well-known physical metaphors in the communication literature (the “wheel” and “umbrella”) has been proposed. It is argued that integrated communication within corporate communications is more complex than in marketing communications, as it involves a greater variety of elements to coordinate and harmonize. The proposed physical metaphors suggest an effective sequential decision-making as they allow a clear distinction between different decision levels.

The paper adds to the debate on the link between theory and practice of ICC. From a practical standpoint, the proposed metaphors as simple and concrete tools for handling complex information and ICC problems could aid novice practitioners and students of corporate communications courses.

The paper shows that while scholars have concurred that ICC is crucial for different type of organizations, the use of physical metaphors can be beneficial for the reality-based challenge of ICC.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a more thorough understanding of cognitive social capital (shared representations) building in a multicultural marketing context.

An ethnographic study with in-depth interviews and observations are used to explore how Chinese entrepreneurs utilize cultural metaphors to build their cognitive social capital in the USA. Both Chinese entrepreneurs and their American stakeholders (consumers and business associates) are interviewed.

The three themes from the findings are cultural conceptual blending, frame shifting with stereotype dilution and metaphor conversion. These form the sub-processes of an overall process the authors name “cross-cultural shifting.” The use of visual and verbal cultural metaphors by the Chinese entrepreneurs leads to conceptual blending, a process of blending of elements and relations from various scenarios in the mind. A frame shifting and stereotype dilution follows, culminating in the conversion of the cultural metaphors into the deep (universally recognized) metaphors of resource and connection.

Given that metaphors are one manifestations of culture and also effective for communicating universally, they play a role in cognitive social capital building in a multicultural context. This exposition calls for further research the utilization of cultural metaphors in international marketing.

The variability in communication and comprehension of business stakeholders from different cultures influence their cognitive social capital building (cooperative behavior to exchange resources). This makes it imperative for multicultural marketers to understand the use of cultural metaphors to enhance cognitive social capital in a multicultural context.

This exposition on cross-cultural frame shifting will result in improved knowledge of the role of cultural metaphors in enhancing multicultural understanding, shared representations and cognitive social capital in international marketing.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the decline of two central metaphors of macroeconomics, economics and markets, and suggests ways in which metaphoric vigor can be initiated to promote economic reflection, inter-disciplinary collaboration, and more productive engagement with the broader society. Economics and markets can be described as dead metaphors which have ceased to provide any metaphoric advantage or potential but which nevertheless remain central to economic discourse. At a time when economics is coming under societal scrutiny and being asked to explain its assumptions, predictive ability and social impact, the perceived distance and sterility of economic language presents a significant problem.

The central approach is an analysis of the ways in which metaphor come into being, provide regenerative insights and communicate open and creative discourse. Metaphor theory is introduced, as are theoretical considerations on the decline of conceptual metaphor through over familiarization.

Metaphor in economics is underexplored and this article suggests that a more engaged and creative approach will provide benefit within the discipline and will be necessary to sustain the ongoing discourse with those outside the field.

This article provides new insight into the problems associated with the failure to recognize and to resuscitate metaphor in macroeconomics. It provides original perspectives on the problem, and presents novel suggestions for reducing the communication difficulties that metaphor failure has produced, particularly in communicating economic perspectives with the broader society.

This paper aims to investigate the effect of metaphor “Digital India-Power to Empower” on citizens’ intention to adopt the e-governance while taking citizens’ attitude and emotional attachment with Digital India as mediating variables between citizens’ involvement and intention to adopt e-governance.

After reviewing the extant literature and using the learning from Technology Acceptance Model-Extension (TAME), a conceptual model has been proposed. The model is empirically tested on 224 respondents from India using structural equation modeling technique.

The paper suggested that the metaphoric promotion of E-Governance leads to a higher intention to adopt E-Governance. Metaphoric promotion has a positive influence on citizen involvement with E-Governance, which leads to positive attitude toward E-Governance. This positive attitude leads to citizens’ emotional attachment with E-Governance, which in turn leads to citizens’ positive behavioral intention to adopt E-Governance. In addition, there is a significant difference in attitude toward E-Governance with respect to education level and metro city dwelling, but there is no difference in intention to adopt E-Governance with respect to education and metro city dwelling.

As there is a dearth of research on the usage of metaphor by government and its effect on citizens’ adoption of E-Governance, a conceptual model has been prepared by using learning from metaphor studies majorly in non-government services.

As marketing and metaphors are rarely spoken words in E-Governance research, present study starts the much-needed conversation. In the past, adoption of E-Governance is studied in terms of technology attributes using TAM Model. The present study is first to explore the behavioral impact of E-Governance metaphoric promotion on citizens’ intention to adopt E-Governance based on TAME model. It raises the issue of marketing foundation of E-Governance in mobilizing the citizens’ intention to adopt the E-Governance.

The purpose of the paper is to examine the metaphors used by senior managers and clinicians in the delivery of healthcare reform.

A study of healthcare reform in England carried out a series of semi structured interviews with senior managers and clinicians leading primary and secondary care organisations. Qualitative data analysis examines instances where metaphorical language is used to communicate how particular policy reforms are experienced and the implications these reforms have for organisational contexts.

The findings show how metaphorical language is used to explain the interactions between policy reform and organisational contexts. Metaphors are used to illustrate both the challenges and opportunities associated with the reform proposals for organisational change.

The authors provide the first systematic study of patterns and meanings of metaphors within English healthcare contexts and beyond. The authors argue that these metaphors provide important examples of “generative” dialogue in their illustration of the opportunities associated with reform. Conversely, these metaphors also provide examples of “degenerative” dialogue in their illustration of a demarcation between the reform policy proposals and existing organisational contexts.